Controlled burn at Mima Mounds set for this week

Weather permitting, the state Department of Natural Resources will conduct a controlled burn this week at the Mima Mounds natural area preserve in south Thurston County.

Fire promotes the growth of native plant species and reduces thatch and shrubs in these rare grassland ecosystems, according to a DNR news release.

Firefighters will be on hand to prevent the burn from spreading.

For more information about the controlled burn, call DNR natural areas program ecologist David Wilderman at 360-902-1556.

This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Controlled burn at Mima Mounds set for this week."